Greetings;
I was on Lexapro for almost two and a half years. As a direct result of its use, I suffered a brain bleed eventually leading to a stroke in the right frontal cortex of my brain.
I am now permanently disabled. When the stroke was discovered around March of 2008, I was extensively examined and tested in an effort for the doctors to discover the cause of the stroke. I wasn't over weight, nor had any other physiological disorders that they could find as a cause. Even though all of these physicians and neurologists were aware that I was on the Lexapro, at that time, nobody ever made the connection between its prolonged use, and brain bleeds and strokes. This is probably because this information was not common knowledge to neurologists and physicians who dispensed the Lexapro to their patients at that time.
It was not until about mid 2010 that information began to appear to those in the medical circle and the public's eyes about the risks of taking SSRI's such as Lexapro.
http://www.drugwatch.com/2012/10/19/study-antidepressants-increase-risk-of-bleeding-in-the-brain-and-stroke/
Unfortunately I have been unable to take any recourse towards obtaining some compensation for my damages incurred as all of this information was released to the public after the 3 year MA. Statute of limitations had already expired. And I am presently unable to find any legal advocacy in my effort to make my strongly evidenced case against Forrest Labs Pharmaceuticals.
Today, I am permanently disabled and have lost everything that I ever worked for and every friend that I ever had because of the dramatic changes to my personality. Due to the fact that none of my Dr.'s were aware that Lexapro placed their patients at a 50% higher risk of suffering a bleed or stroke in the brain, and since I was unaware that I had suffered a bleed leading to a stroke at the time, they kept me on the Lexapro for an additional 5 months even though I had already been taking the 10mg tabs for the previous 2 years. I had repeatedly returned to my Dr. complaining to her that there was something wrong, but she took no action.
Ironically, after the stroke was discovered about 6 months after my first complaints to my Dr.'s. It was now finally understood that I had incurred brain damage due to an acorn sized piece of my right frontal lobe being destroyed in addition to some serious personality changes,
At The time, Neurologists felt that my best treatment was to continue taking antidepressants to help me to cope with my overwhelming any of my personal and psychological issues at hand.
Although I was ignorant of the cause of my stroke at that time, so were all those highly trained and educated doctors, I refused to take a sedated path through life and to date, although my life in shards and for the most part ruined, I have managed fine without these drugs, although I'm not overly a happy fellow.
Never once did anyone ever warn me or inform me about the high risks of taking Lexapro. My Primary care Dr. didn't, nor my neurologist, or my pharmacist and in fact, none of these individuals even had a clue at that time as to how I could have ever suffered a right frontal stroke in the first place. Their only solution is that I should continue being medicated. If I would have followed their advise, I would probably be brain dead, a vegetable, paralyzed or worse.
Today, I have been rendered an impotent statistical casualty of Forrest Labs Pharmaceuticals, who seem to remain absolved from any recourse I might have been able to pursue against them because The Ma. Statute of Limitations is 3 years on bad drugs, yet this information was barely, if even, available until the last year or so. I feel that I deserve to be fairly compensated, as to help me better establish some sort of quality of life for the remainder of my lifetime. At best, I can only pray that some attorney out there will read about my case and afford me a viable solution or take this case.
Thank you for reading this lengthy letter; I was compelled to write it because I saw on this very site, a complete denial that no cases of bleeds and stroke have ever been documented from individuals who took Lexapro. It is a lie and Lexapro for me turned out to be a life killer and not a life giver.
Thank you and well Ron.. aka...Collateral Damage

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